Advertising Journal

             Marketing and advertising are both important when it comes to putting your company's face out there for everyone to see. Most companies need to have a great marketing strategy to promote their company. In order for a company to succeed and remain productive, they must have a great marketing and advertising department. Marketing and advertising for the most part are expensive, but if you want your company to be exposed you will pay the price. I think so many companies fail due to lack of funds to support marketing and advertising. Some companies do not include marketing and advertising as a large budget when they are working on budgets for their company. Radio ads are a form of advertising and the ads cost so much per seconds and air time. This can be real costly but if the company wants exposure they have to pay for marketing and advertising. Sometimes marketing and advertising can be done by word of mouth and sometimes this can be good or damaging to a company. If an individual is truly happy with the company they will definitely sell the product or help the company. However, if the individual is very unhappy it will show because if the word spread most people would be cautious about using the company. Marketing and advertising play an important role in their ability to compete in the marketplace. Companies have to figure out their marketing strategy to decide how they are going to advertise. Knowing the target market selection is must. If the company does not have a target market selection, how will the company know their goals and objectives? In order to determine these target markets must be the focus. If the company tries to market a product and have the wrong target market, they will fail because the product would not appeal to that market.  So first and foremost knowing your audience will help you become successful if your marketing and advertising strategy is on point.

            The major trends happening now in the industry I would say is internet marketing and social media. So many companies are using internet marketing which sometimes is better for the company. Surveys and information can be gathered from customers in real time and processed.  Internet marketing has several advantages and can be used for two way communication because of its capability. Internet also offers the capability of more closely and precisely measuring the effects of advertising and other types of promotion. Social media is very popular now. You have twitter and Facebook and so many millions use these social media networking tools which make it very easy to advertise. Since this trend is so popular you even have academia using these tools to market their colleges and other programs. I think they both serve the purpose they were created for. I think the trends are improving each year because there is always something new or something new learn that keeps these marketing vehicles around for success.

Essence Magazine Ad

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The Essence magazine has a great cover photo. I would say the colors and the chosen celebrities make this cover stand out. The colors are summer colors, bright, and eye catching. If you walk past this magazine you would stop and look because of the colors and how it is presented. Kevin Hart is a very funny comedian so he would definitely capture the audience too. They have two professional men and a very popular actress on the cover that many love all over the world. Right now sexy men and women are selling so why not add it to the front of your magazine. The titles of the articles are also positioned to capture very mature audiences. One of the main stories for sure that would appeal would be “How to eat more and weigh less”. So many people during this time of the year (Summer) are trying to figure out ways to be healthy and lose weight. This article itself would attract several people because of the picture and the titles itself.

I would say the comparison and personality symbol would be the execution style used for Essence. The positives would be being bold and offering more than their competition. If they are standing out more than their competition they will be the magazine to have the most sales. The cover will also appear to more people with the same type personality or connections. Using Kevin Hart the comedian is a great personality symbol because people that can relate to him as well as the others on the cover will be interested in the magazine. The negatives of the execution would be not appealing to all audiences. For some people this magazine may just seem too sexist for them and or discussing issues they do not have which can cause them not to be interested because of issues they cannot relate to.

Target market selection would be mid 25-60s in the African American or minority communities. The reason I say this is because there are a variety of men/women displayed throughout Essence magazines of all ages. Emotional appeal would be the appeal for this magazine. The positioning strategies used are attributes/benefits, price/quality, and positioning by product user.

Time Magazine Ad

http://img.timeinc.net/time/magazine/archive/covers/2012/1101120206_600.jpg 

The Time magazine cover appears boring. The colors used for this ad does not make it stand out. The little boy on the cover may spark attention and make someone curious to pick up the magazine and read it. This would appear to maybe shy person but not a non-shy person. They would look at it and think it was boring without thinking twice about it. Some sports fans may be interested in it because it mentions Eli Manning in the title. The layout of the cover makes the magazine seem so far away. I think the title of the articles do not stand out. Everything blends all together.

The execution styles used are personality and imagery. The negative would be that this ad would only appeal to someone that may be shy or interested in world topics. The positives would be that some of the articles would appear to readers into politics and sports. The image of the little boy standing shyly in the corner would attract most likely readers with kids.

The target market would be people who have kids. Rational and emotional appeal would be used for this magazine. The positioning strategies would be by use and product user.



Radio Ad for V-103

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The radio ad is full of colors and fun. The way the ad is presented makes you interested. The layout and the bold colorful letters stand out. I think the colors will draw the attention to the ad and make people wonder what type of event it is if they are not familiar with it.

The execution styles used would be imagery and humor. The negative would be if someone is not familiar with the radio station or the event that is being advertised. They may take the radio ad as a joke since it is very bold in colors and basic. It is not fancy but it stands out for an ad. The positive would be it would definitely be good for the target market because they would recognize it immediately.

The target market would be mixed listeners of V-103 and preferably females based on the radio ad. The positioning strategy would be product attributes and benefits. Emotional and informational appeal is used here.

Pepsi Billboard Ad

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The Pepsi billboard ad is very eye catching. The colors of this billboard also make this billboard stand out. If you are driving along the interstate you will notice this ad because of the color scheme. They also used Pepsi colors. I also think it was very creative to show only the lips of the person and have them painted blue and red. It is weird but that would catch someone’s attention. Just looking at the billboard would make you thirsty. It appears refreshing and gives off the idea to stop and get a Pepsi from the store. It also shows patriotic because of the colors red, white, and blue. I think the colors are right for the billboard and would draw a lot of attention.

The execution styles used would be humor, imagery, straight sell or factual message, and comparison. The negatives would be if someone did not look at it as humor based on the appearance of the female with her face painted white with blue and red lips. Some could think it’s crazy. For the people that like Coke products over Pepsi they would not think twice about the billboard. The colors and everything else would not appeal to them because they are not interested in changing beverages no matter what. The positives would be that all Pepsi lovers would immediately recognize and understand the billboard. The message would go over well with people that drink Pepsi and they would appreciate the creativeness.

The target market would be all drinkers of Pepsi and retail chain and stores that sell beverages. The positioning strategies would be product attributes and benefits, price/quality, and competitor. Emotional, rational and informational appeals are used here in this billboard.



Geico Billboard Ad

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The Geico billboard it just blah. Nothing really stands out other than the colors. Just by looking at the billboard nothing would make me want to switch insurance carriers. There is nothing on the billboard ad that would set it aside from any other billboard. It can be creative because it appears to be on the back of a wrecker truck which is ironically who the insured would call for roadside service or accidents. Maybe the line indicating a savings on the top would entice some people to call to find out the savings for switching. I think the billboard using the lizard would have been a better billboard since so many people are familiar with that symbol.

The execution styles would be imagery and maybe humor because of the illustration of the billboard and the tow truck as a symbol. Tow trucks are used by all insurance companies so this would be a positive for this billboard. The negatives I see are the colors and how the billboard is laid out. The billboard is simple and not eye catching. The colors look so gloomy so it would convince someone to switch.

The target market would be all legal drivers and/or parents of legal drivers. The positioning strategies would be price/quality and product attributes/benefits. Emotional, informational and rational appeals are used here.

Internet Ad

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The internet ad pops out at the reader. The colors are also good colors to catch someone’s attention. This ad would probably appeal to individuals who are technical, into mechanics, and also affiliated with the military. I would probably skip this ad no matter how inexpensive it is. The ad appears to be boring other than the bright lights in the background.

The execution style would be scientific/technical evidence. Based on the picture there is possibly some endorsement from the military.  This would be a positive way to show the military versus always showing coffins of fallen soldiers.

The target market would be individuals in the military life. The positioning strategy would be use or application. I think rational and emotional appeals combined are used here.



TV Ad for a Movie

http://www.paidownedearned.com/2012/02/chronicle-tv-ad-youtube-and-twitter-but.html 



The TV ad for a movie seems dark and gloomy. Looking at the ad would indicate it is a scary or maybe a suspense movie. No colors basically just black and gray. This would not really make me want to see the movie. Maybe a trailer or clips of the movie would but this has nothing that stands out.

The execution style used would be imagery. The dreary picture with black and gray clouds would be great for demonstrating suspense for the movie which would be a positive for giving some insight on what to expect. I think it could be looked at negatively because there should be more going on in the ad to promote the movie.

The target market would be all individuals interested in suspense, horror, or documentaries. Ages 16 and up. The appeal used would be emotional and teaser advertising which would spark curiosity.

Jet Magazine

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The Jet Magazine has some color. The titles are in white so individuals would instantly take notice to the titles and be enticed to read if interested. There is only one celebrity on the cover so her fans would definitely be interested in reading because she stands out on the cover. This would not just target African American readers because they also talk about Dancing with the Stars and I think several people all races enjoy this show. So this could have a diverse audience. One of the major headlines or hot topics Trayvon Martin would also intrigue some individuals to read.

The execution styles would be personality and comparison. The positive is that come individuals would be able to relate because of the celebrity portrayed personality in the movie she played in or simply because she is a upcoming rising actress who probably have similar stories to other women. The comparison would be competing with other magazines. This could be negative depending if the audience does agree with the cover or the magazine.

Target market selection would be mid 25-60s or older in the African American or minority communities. The reason I say this is because there are a variety of men/women displayed throughout Essence magazines of all ages and Jet magazine has been around for many years. Emotional appeal would be the appeal for this magazine. The positioning strategies used are attributes/benefits, price/quality, and positioning by product user.

Direct Mail- Taken with Camera

The Direct Mailer is trying to persuade customers to come in for services. They have attached coupons that would definitely spark attention if someone needed those type of services. It is more like a postcard that women could just drop in their purse and men could place in their car. It has fine print that could be overlooked but displays the expiration date showing the time frame the individual has to use it.. The FREE in all caps would definitely catch the attention all car drivers and anyone shopping for tires.

The execution style would be straight-sell or factual message. The only negative I could see would be not giving enough information to the customer about the product and the small fine print details. On the other hand all the coupons are bold with black letters so you know exactly what you are getting.

Target market selection would be anyone that own a car. I think more women would use the coupons than men. Informational and rational appeal is being used for the Direct Mail. The positioning strategies would be product attributes/benefits, price/quality, and product user.

AJC Newspaper Ad

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The AJC newspaper has a lot of  interesting articles from looking at the cover. I would probably pick it up on a Sunday for coupons only unless it was a very interesting article I wanted to read. Some people would probably be interested in learning about the latest million dollar winner. The paper is plain but the color scheme makes it stand out. Sunday is all red which is eye catching if you know about the coupons already.

The execution style would be straight sell or factual message. Basically what you see is what you get and there are no tricks. The negative is they should have a bigger cover story to attract attention but on the positive note Sunday coupons will attract coupon lovers.

Target market would be maybe mid 30s-60 maybe. I say this because now most people just go to the internet for news. They do not actually pick up newspapers anymore. Informational appeal is being used. The positioning strategy would be price/quality, benefits, product user, and product use and application.